DESCRIPTION: This R13 application requests NIH support for the 3r International Congress on the Developmental Origins of Health and Disease. Since the first two International Congresses on Fetal Origins of Adult Disease in India (2001) and England (2003), scientific progress has been astounding. From preconception to adulthood, and from genes to society, there has been an explosion of new information in this field, now known as Developmental Origins of Health and Disease (DOHaD). The 3rd International Congress on DOHaD will be held in November 2005 in Toronto. This meeting is dedicated to sharing the latest information from the many disciplines under the DOHaD umbrella, and to accelerating the pace of interdisciplinary research in the field. The 3rd Congress will retain the most popular features from the first two Congresses, while adding a number of innovations: 1- Increased emphasis on implications of DOHaD for the developing world 2- New programs for trainees and young investigators, including awards for outstanding abstract submissions 3- Increased opportunities for interdisciplinary collaboration 4- Increased involvement of women, minorities, and persons with disabilities 5- More oral abstract presentations and dedicated poster sessions 6- Four themes-exposures, outcomes, mechanisms, and interventions-woven throughout the program 7- New perspectives on DOHaD, e.g., evolutionary biology, developmental plasticity, influences of social hierarchies, effects of prematurity, populations in transition, the toxic environment, approaches to data analysis, inclusion of controversial areas, and policy implications The program will begin on the evening of November 16* and last through the evening of November 19th, 2005. It will contain a mixture of plenary sessions, parallel scientific sessions that include both expert invited presentations and submitted oral abstracts, dedicated poster sessions, breakfast workshops, and a lunchtime panel discussion. Delegates will have ample choice to attend sessions of interest. For trainees and young investigators, the program will include a welcome reception/awards ceremony, meet-the-professor luncheon roundtables, reduced registration fees, and travel stipends.